Geoffrey Massey
Geoffrey Massey (1924-2020) was a legendary architect and a giant of West Coast Modernism. Geoff’s dedication to design ingenuity, deep respect for nature and context, and entrepreneurial spirit touched our built environment in innumerable and extraordinary ways.
Geoffrey was born in London, England in 1924 to Margery Fremantle and Raymond Massey – the famous Canadian actor. Geoff followed his father to New England in 1936, and enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces after high school. On the Government’s offer of “land or education” for veterans, Geoff chose education: he graduated with a B.A. from Harvard College in 1949, and a Masters of Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1952 (during Walter Gropius’ tenure). Geoff briefly practiced in Montreal before relocating to Vancouver.
In 1953, Geoff’s new life in Vancouver was marked by two new friendships: the first, with renowned artist, educator, and design advocate, B.C. Binning. The second was with Binning’s student, a young architect named Arthur Erickson, who would later become Geoff’s business partner, and who introduced him to a young woman named Ruth Killam. Ruth commissioned the two architects to design a home near Whytecliff Park, and Geoff and Ruth married upon the completion of this home in 1955. They raised their four children in an environment abound with art and architecture – a meld that was characteristic of the burgeoning West Coast Modern design culture.
From 1953 to 1957, while employed at Thompson Berwick & Pratt, Arthur and Geoff moonlighted on the designs of several houses that are synonymous with exemplary West Coast Modern design, including the Killam-Massey House (1955), Smith House I (1960), and the Graham House (1962). The distinguished partnership of Erickson/ Massey Architects was solidified in 1962 with the winning submission for Simon Fraser University. Under their vision and coordination, design and construction was completed with architects William R. Rhone & Randle Iredale; Zoltan Kiss; Duncan McNab, Harry Lee, and David Logan; and Robert F. Harrison. Erickson/ Massey would go on to create some of the west coast’s most iconic architecture until 1972. Simon Fraser University awarded Geoff an Honorary Doctor of Laws in 2016.
Geoff’s career has been guided by design ingenuity, appreciation of nature and context, and his entrepreneurial spirit. He played a pivotal role in the overall development of Hernando Island, designing several of its private residences including his family’s own cottage in 1973. In the 1970s, as an avid skier, he designed and developed ski chalets, resort lodges, and condominiums (a new living typology in its time), in the resort town of Whistler. Geoff served in the public realm as an Alderman with Vancouver City Council, a board member of the Greater Vancouver Regional District, and a Trustee for the Granville Island Trust. In 1978, Geoff formed the Coal Harbour Architectural Group with architects Procter LaMare and Wing Ting Leung, working on a number of residential, commercial, and institutional projects, including buildings for Expo ’86.
Geoffrey was a founding board member of the West Coast Modern League, a role that he remained active in until his passing in December 2020.
[Top/Bottom Left]: Smith House I, 1960. Selwyn Pullan. Collection of West Vancouver Art Museum.
In 2017, for the League’s “Masters of West Coast Modernism,” we asked Geoffrey to select mementos of personal and professional significance. These are the items he chose.
B.C. Binning, Untitled, c. 1960s (Addition, 1970s)
Oil on Board
Gift to the Architect from B.C. Binning
This painting was a gift to Geoffrey Massey and his family in the 1960s following the birth of their first three children. The design, a series of boats each adorning the names of Geoff and Ruth’s children, lay out in humorous and whimsical assembly. reminiscent of their love for sailing and the innocence of childhood. Binning was a long-time friend of Geoff’s, playing a critical in role in what would become a remarkable partnership with Arthur Erickson. Symbolized by the myriad of Binning drawings and paintings that warmingly adorn the walls of Geoff’s home, this deep friendship speaks to the profound associations between the artistic and architectural worlds in the golden age of West Coast Modernism. Geoff fondly recalls that, in the 1970s following the birth of his daughter, Binning retrieved the painting only to return it shortly thereafter with a fourth boat added to complete the fleet.
Found Objects on Wood
Geoffrey Massey, Collage
Constructed with wood molds previously used to produce metal castings, this collage – a creation of Geoffrey Massey – is the remnant of an abandoned foundry from False Creek’s industrialized past. The foundry neighboured Geoff’s office in False Creek and was scheduled to be demolished. Like any good architect in the presence of a decaying structure, Geoff explored the building before its demise; in an attic high above the production floor, Geoff came upon a treasure trove of wood molds, much of them in mint condition. He returned to the site to collect as much of the material as he could transport and, following on his entrepreneurial spirit, later rented an empty shop in Gastown to sell his findings. He kept the most prized objects for himself.
Stowe School
Originally built as the majestic aristocratic Stowe House in 1672 – the palatial seat of the Dukes of Buckingham – this neo-classical residence, with its expansive gardens and park, was converted to a boarding-school in 1922. Geoffrey Massey attended the school in his early adolescent years. With its expansive ornamented architecture, picturesque landscape, and pavilions scattered throughout the grounds, the estate instilled a sense of place and the important role that architecture plays in creating holistic, experiential environments by design. While he did not necessarily realize its impact of the time, Geoff recalls that it was during this period – amongst this beautiful and impressive environment – that he first became interested in architecture.
Geoffrey Massey (August 2017). Interview with Kim Smith and Steve Gairns, West Coast Modern League.
Geoffrey Massey Personal Archives.
